Supportive Daily Living Aids
Key points
- Using suitable supportive daily living aids can make caregiving easier.
- Suitable supportive daily living aids can help the person take care of himself or herself.
- Hook-and-loop fasteners: Help the person to take off and put on clothes.
- Elastic waistbands: Help the person to take off and put on pants.
- Button hooks: Help the person to button up.
- Dressing stick: Help the person to put on clothes.
- Sock aids: Help the person to wear socks.
- Zipper puller: Help the person to pull zippers.
- Hip protectors: Can decrease the risk of hip fracture during falls.
- Inner-lip plate: Prevent food from spilling when the person scoops from the plate.
- Non-slip matting: Prevent utensils from slipping.
- Specially designed plates, and bowls: Objects such as plates and bowls with suction bases, scooper plates, and scooper bowls can assist the person to eat.
- Specially designed utensils: Aids such as spoon and fork holders, bendable utensils, and utensil straps can assist the person by helping with grip.
- Chopsticks clips: Assist the person to use chopsticks.
- Seven-day pill boxes: Prevent the person from overdosing.
- Electronic alarm pill boxes: Remind the person to take medications.
- Anti-slip treatment products: Products such as non-skid wax and anti-slip liquid reduce the risk of slipping.
- Infrared sensors and bed sensors (CareWatch system): Inform caregivers where the person goes.
- Entry contact alarms: Inform caregivers when the person is leaving the house.
- Night lights: Help the person to walk at night.
- Switches with light indicators: Help the person to find switches at night and recognise whether the power is on or not.
- Bed rails: Assist the person to get off the bed and prevent the person from falling off the bed.
- Amplified telephones with one touch photo keys and big button phones: Helps the person to make calls.
- Visual communication: Such as videophone.
- Non-slip shoes: Reduce fall risk
- Suitable shoes: The forefoot of elderly people will become wider while the hindfoot will become narrower, so new shoes may have to be bought from time to time.
- ID bracelets and tags: Help others to contact caregivers when the person is lost; available at accessory stores that provide laser engraving services.
- Name tags with photos and personal information: Help others to contact caregivers when the person is lost; can be custom made in gift shops.
- Locator with distance alert: Helps caregivers to locate the person and inform caregivers when the person is too far away.
- Communication devices: Such as a mobile phone, Mobile Link (Senior Citizen Home Safety Association)
Summary
- Suitable supportive daily living aids can help to reduce caregiver stress and facilitate the person to live independently.
- Most supportive daily living aids are not too expensive. You may request more information from nearby elderly product shops and elderly centres and related elderly services, or contact the designated hotline for carer support 182 183.